Aerocat’s Dotti Wins Hyde Park Blast

Team Aerocat emerged victorious from the latest USACrits race held in the hopping neighborhood of Hyde Park in Cincinnati and it was Juan Pablo Dotti who delivered the killer blow. However it wasn’t all good news for Aerocat as team captain Emilie Abraham hit the deck in a spectacular crash 100 meters from the line that also took out current USACrits leader Isaac Howe (Mountain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe’s).

Up-scale Hyde Park pulled out all the stops for this event that was held in front of an excitable crowd of 5000 spectators. 107 riders started the event but it was culled by half after 30 minutes of racing as the constant accelerations at the front pressured the riders though the 180 degree turn and on the tight Shady lane ascent. Further attacks from Team Mountain Khakis and Team Aerocat put maybe 30 riders in competition for the $1200 winners check with 20 laps to go when the most promising break of the day somewhat innocuously rolled off the front.

This featured Andy Crater (Aerocat), Ryan Dewald (Mainline), Andy Moskal (Team Panther ), Gavriel Epstein (CRCA), Gabriel Lloyd (Met-life) and Neil Bezdek (Mountain Khakis). The gap went out to 30 seconds with 6 laps to go but under the pressure from Team Mountain Khakis and notably from Jake Rytlewski (Kenda p/b Geargrinder) the gap came down in rapid fashion as the finish approached. The last to succumb was Dewald who held on solo for a $250 prime before the five man Team Panther leadout train picked him up.

As the riders hit the bell lap Ryan Knapp took on the pacemaking for Panther, hoping to set up Chris Uberti for the win. As it was Uberti managed to avoid the finish line carnage but finished in 3rd as both Clayton Barrows (AXA-Equitable) in 2nd and our eventual winner jumped the Panther train on the long finishing straight.

The womens race was defined by a break of two riders that formed with 10 laps to race that saw Jennifer Rasmusson (Team Kenda) prevail over her breakaway companion Sally Price (Team Summacare). Once again the racing was largely negative in this big money event that saw Rita Klofta (Pista Elite) take home a few hundred dollars in primes. Until the definitive breakaway established itself there were a few abortive attempts at attacks that didn’t come to anything. Once off the front Rasmusson and Price quickly build a solid lead and were left to contest the finish alone. For the second day in successive Jan Evely (Team Summacare) convincing won the field sprint for third place.

Howe remains in the lead of the USACrits Series with Barrows a close second and Crater third. Howe also leads the Best Young Rider category.

The women’s race was not part of the USACrits Series but women’s racing returns at the Iron Hill Twilight Criterium on July 10 in West Chester, PA. The Series continues, for the men only, with the CapCrit on July 11 in Washington DC.